by Paul Heisel
“I forgot she could do that,” Caleth said.
“Me too.” No one noticed as everyone was still focused on the injured and fighting the fire. The soldiers adorned in black armor with the crest of a dragon came forward, marching in step. The captain leading them bowed when they stopped.
“We were on patrol and saw the flames and have come to help. More water is on the way.”
“Thank you. We were attacked by a Fury,” he said before the captain could ask what happened. Feln purposely left the horse demon out of this for now. “Additional water will only help keep the fire from affecting the other buildings, I think the manor house is lost. To save it would be futile.”
“What would you like us to do then?”
“Tend to the wounded and help my soldiers. We have enough space unaffected by the fire to give everyone a bed for the night. Emato,” he called out. “These soldiers are here to help. Be sure we make use of them.”
The captain pointed to one of his soldiers. “Report this back to the palace.”
Emato in turn directed the captain to the injured and showed him the out buildings where they would find supplies.
Taking a needed breath, Feln bent over and put his hands on his knees. He felt as if he had run for days without stopping. Now he was tired, drained beyond his endurance, with miles left to run. Across the manicured lawns were benches in various stages of use. He found an empty spot, sat down, and put his face in his hands.
“What’s going on?” he muttered to himself.
“We’ll find out,” Caleth said. He hadn’t left Feln’s side.
“You can go help the others if you want. You don’t have to stay here.”
“Suun would kill me if I left you unattended. Until she returns, I’m your bodyguard. Rest easy my friend, we’ll find out who’s responsible and bring them to justice. If that is what you wish.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. Maybe when he opened them things would be different, but he doubted it.
#
The blue whitish tinge of the imminent sunrise caught Feln’s attention. He couldn’t sleep, not after the night they experienced. It was cool this morning and it kept him awake, yet he was tired and fatigued. Even now, he knew sleep wouldn’t come. The fire had burned out – the manor was a pile of rubble – left was a shell of scarred stone walls. Anything not magical or made of stone was gone. The morning air was filled with the smell of soot and charred wood, intermixed with a hint of death. Emato, finally overcoming his shock, took charge of the staff and the Emperor’s soldiers. They made a difference, all of them, and he was proud of his family and thankful for the Emperor’s soldiers. Thirty-five died including seventeen of his elite soldiers, twelve of them in the fire and five by the horse demon, eighteen of the house staff, primarily those who were trapped in the upper levels of the manor with little chance to get out. Among the dead was one child, Mori. It was a shame, she never had the chance to experience life – to finish her schooling, become a greater cook, or find her first love. That loss alone made him angry. In the eighteen dead he included the two Furies. The father with the scarred arm died when Nar tackled him and the boy perished while Suun and Pearl questioned him. The latter was a needless death, as the questioning revealed nothing about who was behind all of this. As requested, Suun and Pearl didn’t go into any details of what happened. The only worthwhile piece of information the boy revealed was that he and his father traveled from the vast land of Shisaru. Feln wasn’t sure if there was any truth in that statement, though.
What the sleepless night did for Feln was make him realize he needed to act before more tragedies occurred. He didn’t know who was causing this destruction or what the purpose was. Most struggles were about power or wealth, and that took him back to what happened in Sabrin. Kara sought the power and the wealth of the Yokai family, stopping short of killing everyone to achieve her goals. That’s what he faced here, a fanatic, a sick individual who cared so little for life that he was willing to sacrifice Furies to do it. Was he any better though? He let Suun and Pearl kill that young man, and for what? Nothing. No information came forth, and now he had the torturous death hanging over his head.
The dead grass in front of him was slick with dew, and the sky brightened to a washed out blue. He could hear the birds singing and searching for worms, others were eating the last berries from the bushes. Soon, he thought, the birds would go south for the winter to find a better climate. He wished he could do the same. The morning air was refreshing and he took in deep breaths. Someone was coming from behind him. He heard birds flutter off.
“Sunrise is not as beautiful as sunset,” Nar said.
“But it’s the dawn of a new day and we’re alive to see it.”
“Well said. I appreciate you helping to keep Suun ignorant of my presence. For a moment last night, I thought she recognized me.”
“I’ll honor your wish, for now. There may come a time when you’ll want to be her father again. There may be a time when she’ll need a father, and I hope you will step forward and accept that without reservation or regret. Your real family is more important than the Xialao family.”
Nar made no reply and came next to Feln.
“The Furies were supposedly from Shisaru,” Feln said.
“I fought demon cats in Shisaru in the mountains,” Nar said. “That’s how I died.”
“Demon cats? Like the horse demons?”
“Similar, but they aren’t as powerful as horse demons. They kill by roving in packs. They can grow large, though, like the one that nearly ripped me in two. This happened eighteen years ago, after your mother had been missing for two years.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“It wasn’t necessary,” he said.
“I was told no one has seen any demons for centuries?”
“Let me tell you the tale so you’ll understand why no one knows about the demon cats. After your mother disappeared, there was unrest in Safun. We had no leader. There were those of us who carried on with policing the families as best we could, but we quickly lost our power without the Most Favored guiding us. We were divided and internal conflict resulted – there were those who wanted to carry on without your mother, those who wanted to go searching for her and the belt. A civil conflict erupted, the fighting killed many of our family. Afterward, we realized how foolish we were fighting amongst ourselves. While we were making ourselves weak, the other families were looking for opportunities since the Most Favored of Safun was gone.
“Shisaru mounted an attack through our borders, coming at us with unparalleled violence despite our heavy defenses in the mountains and passes. They wanted to crush us. Our standing army finally repelled the invaders. A second attack would have broken us, I'm sure of that, but it never came. Chaos ensued when these demon cats arrived. These creatures of the Nether hunted everything living in sight, us, the army from Shisaru – everyone – and they would not stop until they were destroyed. As Shisaru retreated from the threat, we were left alone to stand against the demons. All of us perished, and I was left for dead, and the demon cats chased the Shisaru army back across their borders. Though I was injured and barely alive, all I wanted was revenge against Shisaru. I recovered in time, cast aside my Safun gear, traveled to Shisaru, and a year later assassinated their Most Favored. I took revenge, for myself and for everyone who died by Shisaru’s hand. That is why I must remain dead.”
“So the demon cats were random?”
“I believe it was an experiment gone awry.”
“How do you know this?”
“When I infiltrated the Sode family I came across a Fury in their employ who had wounds like mine, so we became friends. He introduced me to a noble living there, Ginwata was his name, who had trained many of the Furies and had an unhealthy interest in demons. His work with the Furies was secretive and supported by the Sode family, and I could only conclude that he played a part in summoning the demons. Though I searched for more clues, I couldn’t find
any evidence other than rumors and Ginwata’s interest in demons. My main goal was to get rid of the Most Favored, so my concern about Ginwata faded.”
“Thanks, that gives me more to think about. Tell me, how did you assassinate the Most Favored and escape? Shouldn’t I punish you?”
“Indeed,” he said. “The laws of Pyndira govern our actions and the punishment for those actions. Shisaru accused our family of the assassination but couldn’t prove it. It looked like an accident and I covered my tracks. Only I know what really happened. To this day, I think Shisaru holds us responsible. Of all the families, they have the most hatred for us. They don’t show it, but it’s there.”
“No one likes our family and what we represent,” Feln said.
“You may be surprised that one day you’ll gain allies. Give them time to get to know you. Be fair, be swift, and don’t compromise. Our family has an important duty that can’t be ignored.”
“I suppose I should punish you for your crimes against Shisaru.”
“By the law, yes, you should.”
“Before I punish you, tell me about these demon cats. What are they like?”
“They’re long and sinewy, black as soot, smaller in stature like lynx. When they arrive they hunt in packs, except for the larger beasts that are solitary, strong, swift and deadly. Large or small, though, they are hard to kill. You must hack them apart, otherwise they won’t die and they will keep fighting. They have to be dismembered and their heads removed for the entire creature to expire.”
“Make sure our people know about these cats and how to fight them. I’ll put together notes on fighting horse demons. We’ll be prepared if this happens.”
“Of course. I’ll speak with our soldiers first, then I’ll send instruction by winged courier home. They can spread the word to our larger forces.” He took a deep breath. “And my punishment?”
“You get the same punishment that Hiru received for assassinating Chang.”
“Nothing then.”
Feln pressed forward. “When you fought against the cats, were there any horse demons?”
“Not that I know of,” Nar answered. “Horse demons are from the Nether, same as the cats, summoned by the sacrifice of innocent blood.”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“Unique children are the source of this blood,” Nar said, repeating what Suun indicated. “I don’t know what is meant by unique, though.”
“Who could summon horse demons? A Favored One? A Most Favored?”
“I don’t know. It takes magic, strong magic. Quantities of magic in the belts and what a Fury possess aren’t enough as I understand it.”
“Then how are these horse demons arriving, and how do they arrive precisely where they’re needed? I wonder how they summoned the cats? Is that what’s coming next?”
“You have too many questions for this simple gardener,” Nar said.
“As usual you don’t have enough answers.”
“We can figure it out. I’m not the expert on demons, horse or cat. There a few persons alive that understand this lore. Anything that we’re going to find out about them will be in libraries or in books. We need to figure out how all of this is connected, and why this latest attack was directed at you or at our family.”
“So let’s assume a group in Shisaru has learned how to bring horse demons from the Nether. Let's start at the beginning of all of this. Why would they send them against Hou?”
“That doesn’t make sense to me. Hou is so remote from Shisaru. They have no standing alliance, few economic ties, and fewer family ties.”
“What would you do if you could summon horse demons?”
“Send them at my enemies of course, but strategically. The cost is too great, though, so many innocent lives.”
“For these people, having a conscience is not a deterrent. So imagine if you could bring these horse demons without harming innocents, what would you do with them?”
“I’ll have to think about that.”
Feln was about to tell Nar about the attempt on the Emperor’s life, but realized he had already spoken of it once in a group without proper qualification. Owori trusted him to keep it a secret and he was determined to do so. The first sighting of the horse demon was in Hou, presumably sent to punish Hou for wanting to set up their own province and starting a new family in Pyndira. The second sighting that he knew of was to kill the Emperor, and they were accompanied by Furies and assassins trying to murder everyone there including the Warlord of Pyndira. The third sighting was in his garden, plus Furies who tried to destroy the manor house and everyone in it. Had they not pursued the Furies, Feln was sure more would have died in subsequent attacks. Making them flee had saved lives and he had Nar to thank for taking one of them down. It occurred to him that Nar could have been helping the Furies, but he dashed that thought, as Nar had showed nothing except loyalty thus far.
The constants in this were the horse demons and the Furies. Who was or what was summoning the horse demons? Why would they help Hiru break Hou’s spirit? What was there to gain by aiding Hiru? Then Hiru’s master was killed by a Fury, who was supposed to have been loyal to the Ku family. The Fury broke the binding magic or wasn’t bound to the Ku family in the first place.
“Ever hear of Furies not being loyal to their family?” Feln asked.
“Only from what you’ve told me about Chang’s assassination. The binding magic is strong; they’re made loyal by the belts and their magic. It doesn’t control them, but makes them unable to betray the family in a dramatic sense – like assassination. I don’t know how it works, all I know is that it does.”
“Are you saying if you had a Fury bound to you, the magic would force him to be loyal to me?”
“To the family, hence you, particularly you if you hold the Most Favored belt. The belts are the key – they have the magic to counter Furies and to control them.”
“Hiru’s Fury shouldn’t have been able to help kill Chang then. Somehow Hiru found how to break it. Thus he could get rid of Chang by a Fury who was thought to be loyal.”
“That’s a logical assumption.”
“What about the unmarked Fury we captured last night? What would it take for a Fury to go unmarked?”
“They would have to hide. They couldn’t last for long, as someone would discover them and the laws are clear that they must be marked. I’m sure unmarked Furies are out there, but it is the exception. Generally when Furies want to remain unmarked, it is so they can live a peaceful life or they despise their magic – there are those who feel it’s a curse and not a blessing.”
“What if a family invited Furies, marked or unmarked, and promised them sanctuary?” After he said it, he realized he made a similar deal with the Furies from Bora.
“One or two would be manageable. If you had a collection of Furies, unmarked, uncontrolled, you would have a problem. Any family who thinks they could control them would be in for a shock. They must be bound, thus they would need to be marked. An unmarked Fury cannot be bound.”
“If they were marked, then they could be controlled?”
“They could be forced to serve a belt, or they would at least be fearful of having to contend with that future if they didn’t behave. Unbound and unmarked Furies can’t be trusted, that I know. The reason they are bound to families is so Furies can’t work together. Long ago there was a Fury rebellion and it was bloody.”
“Thanks Nar, I appreciate your insight. Give what we’ve talked about thought.” The tiredness set in and he felt a great weight upon his shoulders. Feln yawned and thought he would need to take a short nap before the day began. He was sure there would be no shortage of work to do. The manor house was a pile of rubble. The gardens were torn apart; Nar would have more work to do as well.
“I must go,” Nar said. He scurried toward the gardens, hefting his shovel.
Turning, Feln could see Suun approaching. She looked as tired as he felt, her face drawn and pale from lack of sleep. She had
pulled back her long curls into a simple ponytail. The tan family uniform she was wearing bore the grime, dirt, and blood of the previous evening. Feln wondered if anything bothered Suun. Her unshakable qualities made him shudder with the thought of what she was capable of doing and enduring. “Good morning,” Feln said.
“Good is not the word I would have chosen.”
“We’re alive.”
“True.”
“We have much to do, today and the next days that follow. We’re going to make sure the families stay within the laws of Pyndira, which means we will too. What happened last night with that boy Fury won’t happen again. We won’t torture captives to death to get information. We’ll find other means to get our information.”
“He isn’t dead,” she whispered. “We let him go.”
The flood of feelings conflicted Feln. He was relieved they didn’t kill him, but letting him go? The Fury could come back and do more harm to them. Why didn’t they keep him bound up? Why didn’t they lock him away? “I’m confused.”
“That wasn’t our intent, to confuse you. We wanted to make sure everyone, including you thought that we killed him extracting information. Pearl and I agreed there may be others among the servants who could be unmarked Furies, so we wanted to perpetuate the illusion that we would torture and kill them if they were caught. We hoped someone would make a mistake or flee or try to contact their allies. We’ve found nothing yet, so I think those two were the only ones involved. We'll keep watching everyone, though.”
“But now he can return, maybe to seek revenge for killing his father.”
“I doubt that was his father, despite the resemblance. We let him go so we could follow him. We sent two experienced guards to trail him, to find out where he goes. They will report back any information. If the boy contacts anyone in the city, we’ll know about it and we’ll know where they are.”
“And if we find this den of Furies?”
“What we do is up to you. In this case I say we find the leader, capture him or her, and scatter the rest to the winds as ashes.”
“Justice is a difficult thing to dispense when no one adheres to the laws,” Feln said. “If we find them, we’ll have to capture as many as we can and question all of them. There are other issues you aren’t aware of.”